


Masked or not

by Mirio_cle



Category: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Bullying, Comfort/Angst, Depression, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Miles is a sweetie, mention of suicide
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-30
Updated: 2019-05-31
Packaged: 2020-03-29 18:50:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19025827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mirio_cle/pseuds/Mirio_cle
Summary: There’s a time when you need to be someone else, and a time when you need to be who you really are.Now is that time to be true. Be a hero without the mask.





	1. Ghost

_“Oh my god!”_

_“Someone call the cops!”_

She looked down at the panicking people under her. They looked so small, so tiny, crowding the front of the building. Like ants flitting around a piece of food that had fallen to the dirty floor.

Why was it like that?

They only showed concern when it benefit them. To make them seem like good people.

_Liars._

She thought, closing her eyes as the lights of the helicopter flashed onto her form, the people in it yelling at her to get down from the ledge immediately.

_Oh, I’ll go down alright._

Lifting a foot, she squeezed her eyes shut. Maybe it would hurt a little less if she would forget how high up she was.

_Okay, you’ve already made up your mind. Now do it, coward._

She grimaced, and leaned forwards. This was it. She was going to fall to her death and no one wold be able to stop her. Her eyes stung from the tears that was collecting behind her lids, as she felt the wind blowing her hair and her uniform cardigan upwards while gravity beckoned her towards the ground.

Close. Closer.

**_Almost._ **

She let out a grunt, a sudden force had pushed her somewhere, taking her by surprise. Snapping her eyes open, she felt an arm grip her waist tightly, and another whoosh of air. Her eyes saw the familiar red and black hoodie and suit, and the big white eyes of Brooklyn’s resident hero, Spiderman.

Spiderman had set the both of them down on a rooftop, the very same she leapt from, the girl falling to her rear as her knees buckled from layers upon layers of fear and realization of what she thought was right.

“Why did you do that?!”

Her heartbeat raced as another strike of fear held her trembling, looking up at the masked hero looming before her.

“Why did you jump? Don’t you realize your friends and family are going to get affected by the weight of your death? Thank god I was there to save you…”

She watched as Spiderman slumped on the ledge, placing the palm of his hand onto his forehead, letting out a breath. A single tear rolled down her cheek and she sniffled, moving to wipe it away, but only caused plenty more to be released.

“Woah, hey..hey.. I’m…I’m sorry I yelled at you. I was just…” Spiderman ran towards her, crouching down to her level and patting her hair as a means of comfort and an apology. “I thought that..”

“If they were really my friends they would have cared. If they were really my friends, they would have understood that what they were doing to me and treating me as was wrong, and would have literally killed me.” Her words were almost swallowed up by her sobs and her hiccups, her hands trying so hard to wipe off the bitter tears that never seemed to stop.

Spiderman chewed on his lip, digging through his jacket to find a convenient spare handkerchief, and used it to gently dab at her face, soaking up the tears. “Hey, hey…calm down for a minute..” He thought of something to say, something that wouldn’t cause her to feel even more bad about herself.

He couldn’t think of something.

“I’m sorry…I’m so sorry. I was stupid..” she muttered, gripping on the handkerchief and whimpered quietly. “I..I wasn’t thinking..I..Oh god…I was gonna kill myself. I was going to do what they wanted me to do..”

_She’s being bullied._

He surmised, unbelieving that bullies existed in Visions. And how he never saw or heard about it, seeing as he studied in the same school as she did. Her cardigan told him so.

“Miss, I think we should head back to your place. It’s getting colder, and I don’t want to leave you after whatever happened here. You’re from Visions, right? Don’t they have a dorm there?”

The girl nodded, standing up and climbing onto his back. She kept quiet as he swung them through Brooklyn, thinking back to when she was falling. It was so close. She was so close to dying.

“Uhm…what’s your name?” it was weird asking that, but he had to do it. His question broke her out of her trance and she hummed, making him repeat himself.

She sniffled again, swallowing the lump in her throat. “(Name) (Last Name). But everyone else calls me Ghost.”

_That’s an odd nickname…_

“Hmm? Why is that?” he asked, turning his head lightly towards her, navigating through the buildings as slow as he could, so he could know more about her. He saw her here and there in the academy, but never really lingering enough for him to actually talk to her.

“I don’t really know anymore…” she answered, leaning into him. Spiderman gulped, trying to focus on the path that he usually took to get to Visions. And after a few more questions, he stopped on a roof of a building.

“Uh, which one is yours?”

Her finger pointed towards the window a few spaces above his and a little to the left. He made a little reminder for himself and memorized the window. “Hold on tight, I’ll jump towards it.” He warned, then kicked off the ledge, throwing his arms in front of him and catching himself on the wall with a grunt.

He guided her towards the window and helped her climb inside quietly, as to avoid disturbing her roommate.

Before he left to his own dorm room, he tapped her shoulder. “Hey. I’m sorry that you’re going through something difficult, but I assure you that tomorrow, everything will be better. Just keep hoping for that silver lining, and you’ll find yourself smiling again.” He gently lifted her chin, smiling to himself as he succeeded in making her smile. Even a little.

“Thank you, Spiderman. For saving me from a decision I would have regretted.”

She reached her hand out to return his handkerchief, but he pushed it back to her. “Keep it. As a reminder that someone has always your back. And a little courage booster.”

(Name) hugged the handkerchief close to her heart and smiled at him, watching him salute at her and swing away and out of her sight.

She sighed, creasing her brows lightly as she changed into a shirt and shorts. Laying down to her bed, she still couldn’t get the fear of tomorrow out of her mind.


	2. Truth be told

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spiderman is knowing more and more about (Name), but Miles isn't going anywhere with Ghost.

“Ganke! Hey, Ganke!”

The ravenette turned around, taking off his headphones and resting it on his shoulders. Miles was running towards him, then skidded into a stop in front of him. “Uh, hey man. What’s up?”

“Whoo…Do you know why people call (Name) (Last Name), uh..Ghost?”

Ganke’s eyes widened at his question, pulling Miles a little closer to him. “Why the sudden question man?” he whispered, opening his locker and looking around for somebody for some reason. “Listen, last night…While I was on patrol, (Name) tried to kill herself by jumping off a building.”

“WHAT?!”

The students whipped their heads towards the pair, Ganke feeling self-conscious and embarrassed from his sudden outburst. He ducked his head and repeated what he had said in a softer tone as he put away his books.

“What?!”

“Yeah. I saved her, and I got to know her a little. Apparently, she’s being bullied or something. And she told me about her nickname. Can…can you tell me about it?”

Ganke sucked in a sharp breath, grimacing at the information he held. He was an old student, and he knew about her situation. Now that Miles was asking about it, he felt guilty that he didn’t do anything to at least help her.

“Let’s walk.” Ganke said, closing his locker and trekking towards their class with Miles. “There’s a lot of meaning behind that nickname. At first, it was a fun nickname. Then it became a word that everyone used to describe her now.”

“You see, before you got here, (Name) was this, laid back and fun girl that was a literal Chaotic Good. Everybody wanted to be her friend, but her closest ones were Quasi and Emarana. Ghost was her nickname because she always managed to get out of detention and trouble. It was like she passed through the walls since the staff didn’t even know that she was gone.”

Miles kept a look out for (Name) whilst Ganke explained, planning to try and befriend her. If that means it would keep her happy.

“Then, while she gained more and more attention and popularity, the other two apparently didn’t like being second. They left her behind, and without her close friends, she got sadder and sadder. Ghost at that time meant that nobody knows for sure if she’s actually there since she barely lets herself be seen anymore. And if she does, it makes a huge fuss.

Now, Ghost means she’s a ghost of a person that was once bright and happy. Speaking of, I think we just passed her.”

Miles whipped around, and looked for her. And there, by the lockers with everyone else ignoring her, was (Name). She looked so sad, and quiet. But her eyes were always looking for something, or maybe someone.

Was she looking for the silver lining that he had promised her?

Miles took a step forward, attempting to get closer to her. Only to be foiled by the bell ringing loudly, yelling at them all to hurry to their classes.

He was going to have to pay her a visit later.

\-- _that night—_

“I’ll be back in a few.”

Ganke hummed in understanding, keeping his eyes on his screen as he typed away on it.

Spiderman crawled up the wall, peeking inside (Name)’s window. In the dim light of her laptop, she looked so tired and desolate. Her lips were curled into a frown as she stared ahead and at the wall, something clouding her mind.

He knocked on the window, startling her and making her jolt in her seat. As she turned her head, she sighed, walking towards the window and opening up the pane.

“Hey.”

“…Hey.”

Spiderman sat on the window frame, ducking under the pane and welcoming himself inside. Her shared room had posters from artists and animations, some of boy bands and musicians. There were stacks of books on one side and a stack of boxes on the other. It was kind of a cozy messy that made him smile.

He wondered who her roommate was, though.

“So…did something good happen?”

(Name) shook her head, hugging herself as she sat down on the lower bunk. “I’m still trying to find that silver lining, though. But I don’t know where to look.”

Spiderman pursed his lips, thinking of something to cheer her up. Knowing her story from Ganke made him want to do at least something good for her. What kind of hero would he be if he wouldn’t?

“Do you mind if I call you Ghost?”

(Name) looked up at him, shaking her head again, her hair following her movements. “Well, Ghost, time to be one and phase through the walls with me and sneak out of here. Let’s go somewhere.”

“Are you crazy? I…I can’t do that. I don’t do that anymore. That’s not me.” She turned her back, crossing her arms over her chest as she knit her brows together.

“Come on. That _is_ you.” Spiderman placed a hand on her shoulder, urging her to face him. “Something tells me that somehow, you miss being outside. You miss being rebellious. I know that there’s a part of you that’s just dying to be let out again.”

“Really now…”

He retracted his arm back to his side and crossed his arms. He tilted his head to the side and peeked at her. “You don’t have to pretend around me, (Name). It’s all good.” (Name) slowly faced him, sighing.

“Hmmh..” she chuckled, grabbing her jacket from the office chair and throwing it over her shoulders. “One hour. One hour and we’re going back here.”

“You got yourself a deal, Ghost.”

* * *

 

> _“I’ll be out for a bit, Ganke.”_
> 
> _“Don’t wait up for me.”_
> 
> _“Night boi.”_
> 
> _“I’m going out!”_
> 
> _“See ya tomorrow.”_
> 
> _“I’m going out again!”_

 

This routine went on for a couple of weeks. Both sneaking out and miraculously, they haven’t been caught yet. Both had their sleep schedules completely obliterated, and their duties (especially outside school for Miles) cast aside in anticipation for these secret meetings of theirs.

But in these secret meetings, (Name) had slowly come out of her shell and showed Miles her true self. Exactly like Ganke had told him she was. Funny, energetic, laid-back and all around a happy girl. She knew how to sing, she loved the arts, her favorite movies were from Disney, and she actually named her cat, Dog.

He was starting to understand why people wanted to be with her. Why people liked her so much. She was this girl that was like the sun, happy and bright. So kind and warm to others, even if most of her actions gave her bruises, she does it to make others and herself laugh.

It was so bad that he couldn't see this part of her as Miles. Because he knew for himself; she was comfortable around Spiderman, so very much, but not around Miles.

And maybe he was alright with that.


	3. Reveal your true self

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> End chapter

Lunch time rolled in, and Miles and Ganke sat together with their other friends, eating as they made jokes and complained about school work and the teachers piling projects on their backs. As Ganke was in the middle of a punchline, Miles’ eyes landed on a certain girl.

From the first time they had met up and snuck out, (Name) was noticably becoming happier and happier. Slowly but surely, she was getting back to her feet, making new friends again and smiling as much as she could.

Something happened once or twice, but even after being humiliated by her so-called friends, she still managed to make a smile and joke about it, brushing it off like it was nothing. It annoyed him that no one said anything about it.

But the most important thing was that she was climbing back to being her old self again. And as she was rising up, her old nickname ‘Ghost’ is apparently being seldom used and has been replaced by Dollface.

“Ey, Enzo… tell me, do you think (Name)’s really a dollface to you? To everyone?”

“Oh totally. Dude, have you seen her smile? Man, I missed seeing that…I’m really glad she’s getting back to being herself again. I heard that someone was making her happy, so whoever he is, he’s being a hero for her.”

Miles beamed for himself and continued to chow down on his lunch. Ganke though, had a feeling in his gut as he walked to his next class.

He was going to have to confront Miles about it.

\-- _a few days later—_

“Ganke, I’m going out again.”

Ganke whipped his head towards him, then stood up abruptly, grabbing his arm to stop him from going anywhere. “Wait. We need to talk. About (Name) and about you.”

Spiderman pulled off his mask and sat down on the lower bunk, with Ganke standing before him. “What about her?” he asked, clutching his mask gingerly in his hands.

“Miles, I know you’re only doing this to keep her happy. But you’re becoming the epitome of tired, man. Spiderman can’t fight crime and hang out with a girl every single day. I’m concerned. Very. Look at yourself. Look at your grades!” Ganke pushed up his glasses, sighing as he rubbed his eyes.

“But I’m doing this to help her.” Miles reasoned, throwing his hands up. “And look at her, she’s being happy! Because I’m doing what I can!”

“I _know_ that you mean well and that you want to save her. You always do. You’re a good person, Miles. And that’s not bad. But you have to save yourself, too.” Ganke pointed towards his mask. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, Miles, but he has to go.”

Miles took his time understanding what Ganke was talking about. And he has understood.

“N-no. I can’t. She’ll think I’m leaving her a-and I can’t do that to her.”

“Yes, you can and you will. Miles, There’s a time when you need to be someone else, and a time when you need to be who you really are.” Ganke placed his hand on his shoulders, lightly shaking them as to shake him out of his fear.

“Now is that time to be true. Be a hero without the mask.”

Ganke let go of him and sat back on his chair, slipping on his headphones as he continued to work on his assignment.

Miles wordlessly stood up, staring at the mask in his hands. He stared at his reflection on the white eyes of his suit, thinking about what his best friend had advised him to do. And maybe…he was right.

After putting his mask back on, he pushed open the window, and climbed out, murmuring a small, unheard thank you to Ganke, and crawled towards her dorm room’s window.

Knocking on the glass, she beamed at him, jumping up from her seat and throwing the window open for him to come in. Her roommate was out, and he was glad he wouldn’t have to take her somewhere else for this matter.

“Hey! I was waiting for you. What kept you? Ah, nevermind. So, where are we going tonight? Brooklyn bridge? Ooh, maybe you can take me to the empire state building and we can go stargazing there!”

“Ghost, I..”

“Maybe we can just walk around the park? I mean, I don’t have any snacks but,-”

“Ghost, I’m not taking you anywhere anymore.”

(Name) stopped in her tracks, staring at Spiderman with a shocked look. “O-oh…that’s fine. Maybe we can hang around in here before my roommate comes back.”

Spiderman shook his head at the girl, stepping forward and gently grabbing her arms. “Ghost, I’m sorry, but I literally mean it. I…I can’t hang out with you anymore.”

Her smile immediately turned into a frown, her shoulders drooping at his sudden announcement to her. “Wh…what?” she asked, her eyes turning glossy as she gave him a pointed stare.

“I..” he sighed, hanging his head low before looking right at her again. It hurts, speaking to her behind a mask. Some hero he was.

“I’m sorry. I just think that you’d be better off without me.”

“No.” (Name) pushed his hands off, shaking her head and backing away from him. “No, you can’t do that to me. You…you can’t leave me!”

“I’m not leaving you when I’m not even supposed to be here in the first place!”

Silence engulfed the both of them as a single tear rolled down her cheek, just like it had been the first time they had met. At the rooftop, where she planned to jump. He watched as several more followed, staining her cheeks and her shirt.

He raised his hand, placing it on her cheek and wiping his thumb over a streak. “(Name), I am not the person for you. I’m not the one that’s supposed to be there for you. And I’m referring to the hero that Brooklyn has.” He took another step forward, and brought her to his chest, wrapping his arms around her in a tight embrace.

“I can see it now. You can shine on your own, (Name). You don’t need darkness nor anyone else making you happy. This may sound stupid, but the people dragging you down are just clouds blocking your brightness. And if you still don’t see that for yourself then,” he pat her hair, like he once had. “Someone else needs to take my place, (Name). You’ll understand why I had to do this and what I mean soon enough. This might be the silver lining I promised you.” His heart ached as she returned the hug, sobbing into his shoulder. “I’m sorry, but I have to go.”

Spiderman released her, and backed off outside her window. Looking back to give her one last glance, he sighed once again, before shooting a string of web and swinging out of her sight.

\-- _the next day--_

(Name) stood in front of her open locker, staring at the handkerchief that Spiderman had given her on the rooftop. It was a white cloth with a blue trim, the opposite of his colors. She couldn’t sleep last night, her mind racing and looking for answers for the questions she didn’t even know she should ask.

Then, the handkerchief she had just been holding had been swiped from her hands. “Hey!” she yelled, whipping around to see who had taken it, and lo and behold, it was the wonder twins, Quasi and Emarana, the latter gripping the cloth in her hand.

“What’s a lowlife like you doing with a Derrik Carnation handkerchief?” Emarana asked, swinging it back and forth in her face. “Did you steal it?”

“No.” she replied. “It was given to me.”

“As if someone’s gonna give you something worth more than your whole life.” Quasi snickered, taking the handkerchief and distanced it away from (Name), trying to reach for it.

“At least my life has some worth.” She spat, earning some ‘ooh’s from the group that had suddenly appeared around them. Even Miles and Ganke had laughed at her quip. She was finally standing up for herself.

“Are you calling me worthless?”

“If you’re not worthless, then what are you? A backstabbing friend that only cares about their popularity? I guess so.”

Collective laughter wafted through the halls as she was the one embarrassing them now. Miles could feel the pride swell up in his heart as he watched her defending herself, and not taking their crap any longer.

“Humph! We didn’t need you anyway!” Emarana threw the handkerchief at her face and walked away with Quasi in tow, their faces red with anger and humiliation as they retreated to a classroom far away from the crowd.

“Good to know ‘cause the feeling is very, very mutual!” she called back, making the students laugh lightly and pat her on the back for being brave enough to do what she did. Everybody hated them, but they couldn’t say a word. Until she did.

As the crowd dispersed, Miles had speed-walked towards her, and tapped her shoulder. (Name) whipped around, seeing him with a kind smile plastered on his face. She felt something, kind of a familiar, friendly vibe radiating off the smile he gave her, and it somehow made her think of the masked hero that had left her alone.

“Oh..Miles..” she didn’t know how she knew his name. Maybe he was in the same class as she was?

“Hey! (Name) from homeroom, right?” Miles starting, pointing at her with corny finger guns. “Do you mind if I call you Dollface?”

And it hit her.

This was the reason he left. Why he was so adamant on being “replaced” by someone else. If you could call him someone else. He wanted to be by her side as himself. His real self.

Even without the suit he was still trying to become a hero, and it had worked in both of their favors.

“Yes. I do mind, because I want you to call me Ghost.” A smile had crept its way into her face as she uttered those words, gripping the handkerchief in the pocket of her cardigan. “Besides, Dollface isn’t me.”

“Come on, that _is_ you.” Miles waved a hand, gesturing for a walk towards what seemed to be her first class. “I know there’s a part of you that loves being called Dollface.”

“Really now?”

She stopped at the door, and Miles halted, turning on his heel as he faced her. “Yeah. I don’t want to be too forward or anything, but wanna hang out with me later, Dollface? It’s gonna be good.”

“Hmm..” she giggled, tucking her hair behind her ear. She shot him a look feigning uncertainty, waiting for him to say something.

“Just one hour with us. One hour and I’ll be satisfied.” Miles brought up one finger, and nodded at her, coaxing her into saying yes.

“You got yourself a deal, Spiderman.”


End file.
